As Medical Schools Implement Measures to Fight Ageism, Duke Looks Toward Similar Program

Duke University aims to implement a program for medical students to interact with healthy older adults in order to combat ageism among providers, reports the Duke Chronicle . Duke University School of Medicine will take a cue from at least 20 other U.S. medical schools in its plans to deploy an initiative to debunk misperceptions about older men and women. "With the exception of pediatricians, everyone will be doing geriatrics and caring for older adults," says Duke Professor Mitchell Heflin. "I think we owe it to students to provide these experiences so that they graduate with skills in how to approach and provide care for older adults." The school's clinical committee has lobbied for more student interaction with older adults, and committee member Liza Genao says, "One of the main things we recommended to the curriculum team was to consider early engagement starting in the first week of medical school, partnering with a senior in the community that they can follow over four years." A now-defunct program had groups of students follow seniors with specific conditions over five weeks, while another brief initiative had students practice both social interaction and medical assessments. Heflin said providers who work with older adults will continue to try to engage in curriculum development and talk to students outside of geriatric-specific courses, at least until an official program is developed.